Coldwellcupcakery

Hi there, this is the first time I have posted so please bear with me. I am a 23 year old mental health nurse and my husband is an electrician. We are definitely going to emigrate and start the process in September but we are confused of where to go.....I have travelled Australia twice and i fell in love with the place and the way of life. Mark has his heart set in New Zealand but we have never been (well i have for like2 days). We know that if we were to move to Australia we would move to Darwin and that if we were to move to New Zealand it would be to somewhere in the bay of plenty. The problem that bothers me is which one do we go to.

The pros and cons that are confusing me are:

* Are the Australians really that discriminative to expats from England?

*Although i have fallen in love with Australia I did so when I was travelling and I know that living there will be so much different. (New Zealand seems much more liveable)

*In the short term the thought of sun 247 is wonderful but in context i think i'd mis feeling cold.

*Does New Zealand really pay nurses next to nothing?

*Which is better and more feasiable to by a property in?

*Where will suit us more and where will we be happiest.

*New Zealand seems to have so much culture and the people are really friendly.

*Where will have the most opportunities?

I know that people wont be able to tell me where we will be happiest but points such as pros and cons of my questions will help us so much and I would be so grateful for some feedback. Thanks to all of you.

iamthecreaturefromuranus

Ask yourself.... why do 500,000 Kiwi's live in Australia?

Jan n Neil

If you have the choice and i hate to say it but i would go for aussie, the wages here are diabolical compared to the cost of living of course houses are much more expensive in aussie but u will be paid enough over there to buy one. It is nice in NZ but personally i feel there are a lot more opportunities else where, sorry am a bit down on the place this week

Neil

Coldwellcupcakery

Hi Neil. Thanks for your reply. My worries lay with the way that Australians regard the English. Mark and I aren't too bothered about having lots of money we just want to live comfortable enough and one day afford to buy a house. We will be coming out with £10,000 in savings to build on and to hopefully eventually purchase a property. We have done some research and Marks qualifications are recognized in NZ whereas they are not in Australia. Are you a RMN? Do you know what they get paid over there. I would love to get to know more about the Maori and PI culture and try to get a job working within the Maori community. Will we live really uncomfortably on a RMN wage as we are expecting mark to me on a minimal wage to start with due to his lack of practical experience. x

iamthecreaturefromuranus

As a Pom, living in Australia for five years, I can tell you that I have never had any problems related to me being English, just the opposite in fact.
As for electricians qualifications not being recognized in Australia, it's the case in most trades here, that while you may qualify for a visa on the strength of your experience, that experience counts for nothing when it comes to being 'Aussie Qualified'. Electrician is one of the trades where you would have to sit some exams to become Aussie approved.

Expat Kiwi

Not that I've noticed. Muck in and do your fair share and you should be ok

Depends where you are and the time of year. I much prefer an Australian winter to a New Zealand one. It helps that the houses are better built here.

Move to Canberra!

Well there are definitely places in both countries that you wouldn't want to buy property in. Australia has more choice, some say its more expensive but that's not been my experience. Depends on where you go.

Where you are the happiest in your work, find a job that suits you really well - regardless of which country it is in - and pays you enough to be able to enjoy your leisure time

Yes it does, as does Australia.

Australia. Far more choice, which is why so many of us live here

Good luck

Expat Kiwi

I could give you 101 reasons but mainly because its easier here.

iamthecreaturefromuranus

They must be bloody shocking in New Zealand then 'cos plenty of Australian houses aren't up to much.

Better pay, better houses, better weather, more choice.. yeah, I'd say that qualifies as easier.

Makes you wonder why those who have the choice, chose New Zealand.

Woodpigeon

No snakes or crocodiles to start with

Expat Kiwi

Oh yes! You see a lot of crocs in Brisbane.

Mostly lightly seasoned in a white wine sauce, or made into handbags.

And there's no problem with snakes: the crocs eat them

Gill and Rob

Hello
We are both nurses and hubby actually works in mental health.
Salary is dependent on how long you have been qualified, for the first 5 years and working for a District Health Board, condition of employment are covered by a collective agreement.

There are huge shortages in practically all areas for nurses working in MH, so you have the freedom of choice.

As for Australia over NZ........ for me NZ wins hands down. No poisonous spiders, snakes and crocodiles.

Any specific questions feel free to ask.

Gill and Rob

iamthecreaturefromuranus

...and of course not forgetting the man eating spiders that are everyehere as well.

bourbon-biscuit

For us because the pay was better in Oz, but money isn't everything. Some houses are better in Oz but some are better in NZ (that's a silly one really because you can choose good or crap in either). The weather was different rather than better and again it's so varied throughout both countries it's not as simple as that- there are heaps of ppl living in Australia in cooler temps than some of the places in NZ and there are lots of places in Oz I'd *never* want to live in because of the climate, whereas NZ is temperate- mostly short, cool, wet winters and long, warm pacific summers. Choice- I guess you mean more consumer orientated and yes, that's true, Australia is more consumer orientated than NZ. Whereas if you live in both for a wee while you discover that NZ is heaps more service orientated so dealing with bureaucracy here is so much more pleasant (from getting hold of your internet service provider to getting your car rego to dealing with the police after a break in to phoning a gov. department- NZ has a very different attitude to such things and it's EASIER).

And then there's education- imo&e NZ's education system and schooling is better, heaps better for MY kids. But that's just my opinion and my experience and I don't rule out Oz for us at some other juncture in our lives- as our Kiwi rellies here say "the third island's a good place to spread your wings and try something different".

Rusty

Hi

my partner is is a MHN in Auckland, we only moved here in January from Birmingham, good bits are the pay is more than the UK, you will get assistance re-locating (no need to go through agencies) bad bit is the hours are slightly longer than UK if you want to skype her PM us and we'll send the address then you can have a good chat and she'll be able to go through the do's and don't

Kind Regards

gibbons

Hi Rusty,

Sorry to jump in on the original post but wondering if the offer of a chat might be extended to My gf and I. We have recently decided to relocate to New Zealand and have decided that Auckland should be the place to try first. My gf is an Intensive care nurse (Also in Birmingham) and I'm an operating department practitioner/Anaesthetic technician. We have made contact with an agency but notice you say its not required?!!? We, like the original poster, have many questions for example the cost of the whole process, inclusive of professional registration, to flights, to visa applications, and a few others like pay etc!! If ya happy to PM us with a skype or email address that would be great. Not able to PM you sorry as we have only just joined and need to have three posts before we can. Hope to hear from you soon.